THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
Student lives strong by supply and demand
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BY KELSIE SMITH
editor@kansan.com
SPECIAL TO THE KANSAI
Many students are sporting the LiveStrong bracelets in support of cancer research. One student, Adam Strauss, has profited by selling them for a mark-up price on eBay.
The two yellow bracelets on Adam Strauss' wrist seem just like those on hundreds of wrists across campus. But what most see as a way to support cancer research, Strauss sees as dollar signs.
That's because those little bands of synthetic rubber made Straus's summer more enjoyable — about 1,000 times more. Going into temporary business together, the Minneapolis, Minn., junior and his brother sold about 300 of the hard-to-find bracelets on eBay and ended up with nearly $1,000 in their pockets.
Strauss said the profit was "pretty solid," and while that may be an understatement, it's one many other eBay auctioneers would agree with.
eers would agree. You can find more than 1,000 auctions for the bracelets on eBav's Web site.
Their popularity has surprised even the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which the bracelets benefit.
benefit.
With backorders on the foundation's Web site, the $1 attempts at charity are being auctioned off on eBay to the highest bidder, sometimes for as much as $40 a bracelet.
While the foundation admitted reselling the bracelets at higher prices is legal, foundation representative Michelle Milford said that didn't make it right.
The bracelets, stamped with Armstrong's mantra "LiveStrong," were started by the six-time Tour de France champion's foundation and Nike with the goal to raise $6 million for cancer research.
Strauss said he'd been criticized for making a profit on what was supposed to be a nonprofit cause.
But his conscience, he said, is clean.
"I gave enough money to cancer research," he said, referring
"I 't's taking a very good cause and
turning it around to make a quick profit for yourself. I couldn't ever do that."
Carolyn Cornett Wichita junior
to the $1 price tag he paid for his 300 bracelets. "They were in high demand. People wanted them. They wanted to show their support. I was helping people that wanted to support cancer research."
the eBay issue lightly.
The foundation hasn't taken
the Only issue is money
They want people to know that payling $5, $10 or even $40 for a bracelet got not mean the foundation got the extra money.
They asked eBay to take down all auctions selling the bracelets, but because it's not illegal to resell personal property it couldn't be done.
However, eBay did take down all auctions that claimed the extra money would go to the foundation.
Strauss blamed the eBay problem on poor marketing.
He said if more bracelets had been supplied, people wouldn't have been willing to pay the extra money.
After all, he said he was driven to eBay because he couldn't find a bracelet anywhere else.
Milford said it wasn't that simple. When the bracelets came out, most questioned whether the $6 million goal could even be met.
However, $11 million later demand for the bracelets still has orders backed up about three weeks.
"There was no real reason to." Dobbins said. "It's a donation, so we don't make any money on it.
weeks. Doug Dobbins, manager of the Jock's Nitch, 357 Massachusetts St., said the store's first shipment of 50 bracelets sold out the same day they arrived. Despite the demand, the store didn't order more.
Carolyn Cornett said that's the way it should be.
When the Wichita junior found out what the bracelets were for, she wanted to make
So she placed her order on the Lance Armstrong Web site, www.laf.org, and waited three weeks for her box of 10 bracelets to arrive.
"I think that's highly unethical," she said. "It's taking a very good cause and turning it around to make a quick profit for yourself. I couldn't ever do that."
As for Strauss, he says he's done with LiveStrong bracelets
For her, eBay was not an option.
All that's left of his eBay endeavors is the yellow on his wrist and the green in his wallet.
— Edited by Marissa Stephenson
SENATE
Senate passes all but Into the Streets bill
The Student Senate committees met last night. All legislation passed in two committees except one bill, which was tabled.
A bill that would contribute $15,000 for the Into the Streets Week keynote speaker, Eric Schlosser, was indefinitely tabled because all necessary paperwork was not turned into Student Senate.
Other legislation receiving $200 of general funding that passed:
Association for Spiritual Diversity in Social Work
The Swing Society
Association for Spiritual Diversity in Social Work
Up 'Til Dawn UNICEE
The Brazilian Student
Able Hawks
The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students received $1,100 which will help pay for its national conference in New York.
The Public Relations Student Society of America will receive $1,405 to pay for its national conference in New York.
A bill to pay for $400 for Jayhawk Communications passed. The organization is a student-run, nonprofit public relations firm open to all students. The organization will be coordinating and sponsoring Lee Demin Days Oct. 4 to 8, which will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research
Foundation for breast cancer research.
A bill for $4,000 to contribute to the Architecture Student Council Lecture Series passed. The lecture series will bring four prominent architects to the University of Kansas. The first lecturer is Michael Sorkin, who will speak in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union Oct. 22. The lectures are open to all students.
— Laura Francoviglia
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS SEPTEMBER 23,2004 PRESENTED BY SENATE
EVERY 2 SECONDS SOMEONE NEEDS BLOOD
Monday, Sept. 27
Corbin: 1-7pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Thursday, Sept. 30
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Friday, Oct. 1
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
FREE KU T-SHIRT & GOODY BAG TO EVERYONE WHO COMES TO DONATE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.KUBLOODDRIVE.COM
To ensure a successful donation, please be sure to eat foods high in iron and drink plenty of water 24 hours prior to donating.
Sponsored by:
IFC
Panhellenic
AURH
KUAC
NROTC
SOKA GAKKI INTERNATIONAL-USA
THE BUDDHA IN YOUR MIRROR
GUEST SPEAKER: TED MORINO, VICE-GENERAL DIRECTOR OF SGI-USA AND CO-AUTHOR OF THE BUDDHA IN YOUR MIRROR
FRI, SEPT 24
7:00-8:30PM
7:00-8:30PM KANSAS ROOM, KANSAS UNION
(BOOK SIGNING FOLLOWING LECTURE AT OREAD BOOKSTORE)
BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD
@UMKC, MILLER NICHOLAS LIBRARY, 800 E. 51ST ST, KC, MO
SEPT. 20 - OCT. 2
SUN: 1-11PM
MON-THUR: 7:30AM-11PM
FRI: 7:30AM-5PM
SAT: 10AM-5PM
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